Crosstie



Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

MARTIN L. WEAKS, OF GRANITE CITY, ILLINOIS, AND JAMES W. CARY, 0F CUMBER- LAND CITY, TENNESSEE.

onosstriE.

Application filed June 2 5, 1923.

To all w ham it may 00n0em.

Be it known that we, MARTIN L. VVEAKs and JAMES W. CARY, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Granite City, county of Madison, and State of Illinois, and Cumberland City, in the county of Stewart and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Grossties, of which the following is a specification.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a railroad cross tie adapted for construction of any suitable material and provided with rail anchoring or locking means which precludes the necessity for the use of bolts or spikes. A further purpose is to provide a tie having seats in which the rail bases may engage that will positively preclude spreading of the rails so long as the anchoring means remain in place.

With these general objects in view the invention consists in a certain combination and relation of parts of which one embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and it is believed at the present time to be the preferred embodiment.

Figure 1 is avfront elevational view of a cross tie embodying the features of the invention.

Figure 2 is a central vertical sectional view through the structure of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view through the structure of Fig ure 1.

Figure l is a transverse sectional view taken centrally of the rail seat.-

The tie body 1 may be of hollow or solid construction and made of any acceptable material, it being essential, however, that it be provided with slots 2 adjacent opposite ends and with rail seats 3 formed by milling or otherwise cutting the upper face of the tie transversely of the slots and at appropriate distances apart to provide for the proper spacing of the rails 4, the bases 5 of which rest in the seats.

Clamping levers 6 are provided for retaining the rail base inplace in its seat and Serial No. 647,668.

there are preferably two of such levers disposedrespectively on opposite sides of the seat, each lever being mounted on a pin 7 transversely spanning the slot 2. At the upper end each lever is formed with a lat eral projection 8 constituting a hook for engaging the rail base 5 and the tails 9 of the levers are disposed in the path of movement of a spreader or wedge key 10 passing through a slot 11 formed in the tie adjacent the lower edge and horizontally disposed and in transverse intersection with the slot 2.

Obviously with the rail in place, the clamping levers will be moved into rail engaging relation upon the driving home of the wedge .key or spreader 10 and in order that the latter may be prevented from receding from the position in which it holds the clamping levers inthe proper relation, it is provided with a plurality of perforations or apertures 12 in which a pin 13 may be selectively engaged, the pin abutting the side of the tie and thus precluding recession of the wedge.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new and useful is A railroad tie having a plurality of rail locking levers disposed in a slot formed in the tie, pivot pins transversely spanning the slot and pivotally supporting the levers, the levers above the pivot pins being provided with hooked ends for engagement with the base of a rail seated on the tie and being further provided below the pivot pins with tails, a wedge key slidably mounted in a transverse slot formed in the tie and between the tails of said levers, said wedge key having converging side edges and being provided with a series of spaced perforations adjacent the narrower end, and a pin for selective engagement'in said perforations to prevent recession of the wedge key.

In testimony whereof we affix our signa- 'tures.

JAMES W. CARY. MARTIN L. l/VEAKS. 

